NAHC and its affiliate Hospice Association of America (HAA) recently received clarification from CMS that the final hospice cost report documents – forms, instructions and electronic specifications (for freestanding hospices) – will be released no later than Friday, August 29.

CMS has indicated that the forms and instructions have not changed, and CMS has not added, changed, or modified the forms or filing requirements. It is NAHC and HAA’s understanding that CMS has only made extremely minor changes, along the lines of adding shading or addressing grammatical errors).

THE REVISED HOSPICE COST REPORT FOR FREESTANDING AGENCIES WILL BE EFFECTIVE FOR COST REPORTING YEARS BEGINNING OCTOBER 1, 2014 AND AFTER.

For hospices that are facility-based - home health, hospital, etc., - CMS is expected to issue cost report revisions that will go through the same comment process as the freestanding hospice cost report materials did – separate 60 and 30-day comment periods – prior to finalization.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is seeking input from providers related to the implementation of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) established in Section 3004 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as The Affordable Care Act (ACA).

On behalf of CMS, Health Care Innovation Services (HCIS) will be conducting voluntary provider interviews during the months of July and August, 2014. The voluntary interview process is intended to assist CMS in better understanding the strengths, weaknesses, priorities and burdens associated with the HQRP; to understand the means by which Hospice providers ensure the accuracy of submitted data; to understand the impact the HQRP has or has had on patient services and outcomes; and to understand how CMS might improve the HQRP and associated processes in the future. Most interviews will be conducted over the telephone or via email. A comprehensive list of the questions and topics to be discussed will be provided prior to the interview process. Reports or summaries that result from the information gathered through the interview process will not contain any specific provider information.

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